Evan Rachel Wood: Hollywood Has Better Roles for Older Women

The original provocateur on the merits of being brutally honest, what feminism really means, and the actress whose career she covets most.

Evan Rachel Wood has built her career on playing unexpected, edgy characters that don't conform to traditional Hollywood standards. And, in true Evan Rachel Woodian form, she's decided to spend spring starring in a live, Los Angeles music concert that pays tribute to the films of John Hughes. The show, Dear John Hughes, patches together scenes and music from the late director's canon such as Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. The result is a cornucopia of complicated women with Wood channeling everyone from Ally Sheedy's iconic basketcase from The Breakfast Club and Mary Stuart Masterson's tomboyish Watts from Some Kind of Wonderful. Before Sunday night's performance we caught up with Wood, who also has a spate of films and an HBO series called Westworld coming down the pipeline, about her pivotal turn in Thirteen, the power of being brutally honest, what she plans to teach her son about feminism.

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What made you want to do a live show at this point in your career?

I started in musical theater where I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. So that's where my heart is. I think I forgot how much I missed it until I started doing this show. Nothing compares to it for me—the energy, the family that happens backstage, and the immediate reaction you get from the audience. There's nothing like it.

How did you end up cast in this show?

I approached them. I saw the [Quentin] Tarantino show and I just flipped. It's hard to find really cool, immersive, interesting theater in LA. I had no idea that this existed. I was really blown away by the talent and the idea of picking a director and mashing up the films. I ran up to [the creator] and said, 'I'll do it. What do you want me to do?' He told me they were doing John Hughes next and I'm a huge John Hughes geek so I went, 'Okay.' I was completely terrified the first week of rehearsal. I immediately thought, 'Oh, what have I done? I'm going to make a complete ass of myself.' But it's just that much more fulfilling when you finally get it. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'm having the time of my life.

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When you're going out and auditioning for roles, are you finding good, interesting parts to play in movies and TV?

It's difficult, but the older I get, the easier it's getting. When you're a woman in Hollywood in your early twenties, it's hard to find a role that's not there to serve the leading man or that's the sexpot. It can be difficult. I think that's why I've done a lot of TV and why more people are doing TV because there seems to be more interesting roles—especially for women. That's why I'm so excited about my new HBO show. And that's why I love doing this role. I can be a tomboy. This is the closest to myself I feel like I get to be. It's hard to find androgynous roles. That's why I love what Jodie Foster does: She usually reads every script and, even if it's written for a man, she'll just ask if she can do it. I hope that one day I'll get to a place where I can do that.

Has becoming a mother changed what you want to represent on-screen?

In a way. Some people ask me if I'll take less racy roles and, no. But I'm more likely to take roles geared toward children and do kids' movies.

You did a voice in an animated film recently, right?
Yeah! I did that when I was really, really pregnant, actually. Most of that was recorded when I was huge. And that's another reason why I did that. And because I got to sing.

Has your son seen the movie?

He's still a little young. Maybe in a couple years. And I'm excited for him to see Across The Universe. That's one of my favorites.

"I want my son to know that he's a person and he's allowed to have emotions and be vulnerable."

As someone who is very vocal about gender issues, is there something you want to be sure you instill in your son?

Just kindness. I think whenever I talk about being a feminist or speaking out for equality, it's also about the idea that men are treated with respect. It's not just about treating women like people and not abusing them. You also can't abuse men and you can't say things like, 'Oh, he was just a man. He didn't know any better.' Or 'He's a man, what did you expect?' That's just as abusive and damaging to men, I feel. I would want him to value himself as a person. To hold himself to a higher standard, and to not listen to all the stuff that's shoved down men's throats about what they're supposed to do and how they're not supposed to feel. I want him to know that he's a person and he's allowed to have emotions and be vulnerable. That doesn't mean he's not strong.

People tend to get confused about what feminism actually means...

I think because the word 'femme' is in there it turns people off. But really the word is equality. That's all it is. It's just equal opportunity.

Your Twitter bio is a list of various descriptive terms about yourself and 'Mother' is the first one. What was the first one before you had a child?

It was 'artist.'

Do singing and acting express the same sort of emotion for you as an artist?

You're always striving for this place of Zen. Or a flow state, where you kind of transcend reality and you go to this other place. It's when everything is in sync, and everyone is connecting with one another. Everything is going perfectly. You lose yourself. It's the ultimate form of meditation where it's an out-of-body experience. Afterward you come back to Earth and you're like, 'What just happened? We just did something awesome!' It's this energy in the room when you know you're nailing it and you know everyone else is feeling it too. That's why theater is so awesome.

Is there a role you've had in a movie or TV show where you achieved that sensation?

Yeah. There's certainly moments. The first time I really felt that was when I did Thirteen. I did the final scene and I don't have any memory of doing it. There came a point in the scene where I just remember blacking out. I woke up and I was on the floor and somebody's arms came and picked me up and I didn't know who it was. I was put in a bed and someone was just holding me for, like, 15 minutes, and then I realized it was the director. She thought something had gone horribly wrong because I was such a mess on the floor. I go back and watch the movie and there's moments I just don't even remember doing. That was the first time I felt like I broke through something major. And I think that was the first time I realized the power of being so brutally honest. That's why after that I chased more gritty, more dramatic roles because after the reaction to that I just wanted to keep doing that.

When you're hanging out at home, what movies do you like to watch?

There's so many! I'm a big cartoon geek. People find this weird about me, but I'm a huge Disney geek. And [I also love] All Dogs Go to Heaven, Labyrinth, Clueless. Clueless! I can quote that movie from beginning to end. I really want them to do an Amy Heckerling show here.

Maybe you'll get cast in one of the new, live-action Disney movies, then?